Sample Records Schedule – Congregations

A records retention schedule identifies the types of records created by a congregation and its officers and governs their retention and disposition. This schedule is intended to provide an example that your congregation can use to manage your records and prepare records for transfer to your Regional Council Archives. If your congregation creates types of records not listed in this schedule and you are uncertain how long to keep them, contact your Regional Council Archives for more information.

All record types with permanent retention are archival and should be transferred to the Archives when the records are no longer actively used in church work. It is best to send such records every three to five years. Only one copy should be deposited to the Archives. Record types that are not permanent should be disposed after the designated retention period.

For more information, contact your Regional Council Archives.

Sample Records Schedule – Congregations (PDF, 207 KB)

Administrative

Advertising and marketing materials

  • Retention Period: 5 years
  • Includes flyers, brochures, posters, photographs, audio-visual material. Contact regional council archivist

Agendas

  • Retention Period: 5 years

Annual Reports and Statistics

  • Retention Period: Permanent

Ballots

  • Retention Period: Retain until results are confirmed

Bylaws/Constitutions

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Retain all historical versions

Correspondence and memoranda: general

  • Retention Period: 3 years

Correspondence and memoranda: substantive

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Examples: Dealing with legal or other important matters; potential value for historical research on policy or issues

Legal documents

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Examples: deeds, titles, mortgages, bills of sale, memorandums of agreement for disposition of cemeteries when churches close

Minutes of congregation

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Includes all boards, committees, organization of the congregation

Minutes of other church courts

  • Retention Period: 5 years
  • Examples: regional council, General Council

Organizational charts

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Retention begins when org. chart is superseded

Planning documents

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Examples: goals and objectives, priorities

Policy statements and procedure manuals

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Maintain all historical versions; includes all written policy statements, procedures, standards, and guidelines

Reports

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Generated by board, organization, committees of congregation

Social Media

  • Retention Period: 3 years
  • Retain while current

Website

  • Retention Period: 5 years
  • Contact regional council archivist for information on web content capture

Finance and Property

Audited annual financial returns

  • Retention Period: Permanent

Bank Statements, pass books, reconciliation and cancelled cheques

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • A requirement of the Income Tax Act.

Budget Planning documents

  • Retention Period: 10 years

Capital construction records

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Includes survey and title searches, contracts (including change orders), funding approvals, testing reports and certificates and “as built” drawings

Cash receipts

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Contracts

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Includes supplies, service and maintenance. Contact regional council archivist for any concerns

Deposit book/slips

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Donor Files (e.g. objective files)

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Donor receipts

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Equipment and supplies: general

  • Retention Period: 5 years
  • Includes office supplies: hardware, software

Equipment and supplies: assets

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Includes furniture, permanent fixtures, buildings

General ledgers

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Inspection reports

  • Retention Period: 5 years
  • Retention begins after next inspection. Includes fire, elevator

Insurance policies

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Including property, boiler and machinery, travel, accident, course of construction

Insurance documentation

  • Retention Period: 3 years

Invoices: construction

  • Retention Period: Permanent

Invoices: other capital

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Invoices: operating

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Journals and subsidiary ledgers

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Includes accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash receipts, miscellaneous and other, and payroll.

Plan, drawings, and specifications

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Examples: architectural and engineering plans and drawings

Property records

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Examples: Deeds, titles, leases

Subscription files

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Example: The Observer

Tax returns

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Examples: Charitable, GST/HST

Tax bills

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Examples: property, municipal

Utility contracts

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Weekly offering envelopes

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Membership

Communions rolls

  • Retention Period: Permanent

Directories: members and staff

  • Retention Period: 1 year
  • Retention begins when directory or list is obsolete

Historic rolls

  • Retention Period: Permanent

Mailing lists

  • Retention Period: 1 year
  • Retention begins when directory or list is obsolete

Registers

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Baptismal, marriage, burial

Personnel

Payroll records: time cards/sheets

  • Retention Period: 2 years

Payroll records: T4s

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Payroll records: T4As

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Payroll records: deductions CPP, EI

  • Retention Period: 7 years

Personnel policies

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Lay personnel hired by congregation

Personnel records: ministry personnel

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Ministry and Personnel committee keep all active records. See Personnel Records Policy for which records to transfer to Office of Vocation as permanent.

Personnel records: lay personnel

  • Retention Period: 7 years
  • Ministry and Personnel committee keep all active records. See Personnel Records Policy for more information.

Other

Bibles/hymnals

  • Retention Period: Copied information permanent
  • Photocopy significant historical information written in margins, etc. if not available elsewhere

Biographical material of key members and clergy who have served congregation

  • Retention Period: Permanent

News clippings of congregational activities

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Only if newspaper is named; dated; copied on acid-free paper

Newsletters

  • Retention Period: Permanent

Bulletins/order of service

  • Retention Period: Selective retention
  • Contact regional council archivist

Histories of congregation

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Published or unpublished

Film/videotape

  • Retention Period: Selective retention
  • Produced by congregation and of historical importance; identified

Oral history

  • Retention Period: Selective retention
  • Tapes and transcripts

Press releases

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Issued by congregation

Programs

  • Retention Period: 5 years

Publications: by congregation

  • Retention Period: Permanent

Publications: non-congregation

  • Retention Period: While in use

Photographs

  • Retention Period: Selective retention
  • Identified and dated; contact regional council archivist

Residential Schools

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Transfer copy to NCTR

Scrapbooks

  • Retention Period: Selective retention
  • Historical contents identified and dated; contact regional council archivist

Slide/tape shows

  • Retention Period: Selective retention
  • Subjects identified and dated; contact regional council archivist

Sound recordings

  • Retention Period: Selective retention
  • Of congregational event/activity; key speakers identified; date of event; contact regional council archivist

Speeches

  • Retention Period: Permanent
  • Congregation: clergy , officers, guides; dated